Just killing time here in Binghamton, N.Y. Marc is racing this afternoon and I’m up tomorrow. So we are holed up in our hotel room trying to stay out of trouble in downtown Binghamton… So what else to do but surf the WWW?

I ride egg beater pedals. Love them. But the cleat/pedal system rips up the bottom of my carbon soled mountain bike shoes. I know it is not really a big deal. But it is annoying. Well Crank Brothers have introduced a smooth product called the shoe shield. Now your shoes will stay nice and scratch free. Yay!

Tires. What kind of tires will you be riding this season? The tire debate is an endless one in some cyclo-cross circles. I know guys who can debate tire choice and tire pressure for hours… I’m a fan of tubulars – primarily because you can run a lower tire pressure with them. Last year I used Challenge Grifo tires. This year I’ll be running Dugasts. What about you – what are you running? How low do you feel comfortable going (I’m talking tire pressure here…)?

Interesting article over at
CycloCross World about the state of ‘cross in North America.

Check out this Q and A with
Sven Nys at Cyclocross Magazine. I once rode with Sven Nys. Okay well I was on the famous Begijnendijk ride and my partner happened to be Sven Nys. When I realized who it was I focused on riding in a straight line and not taking him down! I once ended up with Neils Albert as my partner on this same ride. This was very cool – we chatted for an hour during the ride about racing in Belgium compared to racing in Canada and about cyclo-cross. Very friendly guy.

Just found this very cool calendar on Cyclocross Magazine. Check it out. No excuses now for missing a race!

Okay, time to go. Gotta get some food for us to munch this afternoon and get ourselves over to the race. Have a good one.

I leave you with this question: pre-clip or not before dismounting?

Thanks for the awesome feedback on the site. I really appreciate it. It is great to know that you find the site interesting and useful. Also greatly appreciated are the kind words about the clothing.

Don’t by shy – if you have a question to ask or a comment to post – go for it. The more chatter the better. Also, if you have a topic that you’d like to hear more about or think I’m missing some useful/hot/interesting cyclo-cross web sites/news/equipment/race – just let me know. The more input from you the better – this way I know what people want to read and talk about.

I’m racing this weekend – but on my road bike. Driving down to Binghamton, N.Y. tomorrow to race in the Chris Thater Memorial criterium. I don’t race until Sunday but Marc is racing on Saturday as well as Sunday. Should be a good weekend. Lots of racing action to take in and I’ll be able to hook up with lots of people I don’t get to see very often. I’ll be racing in The Cyclery kit this weekend, so if you see me out there – don’t be shy to stop me and say hello!

Picked up my Stevens Super Prestige from The Cyclery today. It has a hot new fork on it – a nice light carbon fork. Sweet. Thanks Vince – you rock. And a big shout out to Luke for his smiling face! I feel faster already! Can’t believe how fast the ‘cross season arrived this year. Seems to be coming earlier and earlier every season. Or maybe it is just that this year I’ve started preparing for it much earlier.

I registered for the Cycle-Smart Cyclo-Cross camp. A smooth weekend of ‘cross training/skills/drills combined with knowledgeable coaches and a solid group of camp participants. This will be my third season of driving down to Mass. for the camp. Believe me – it is worth the drive. Besides, I can stop in Burlington on the way to shop (I mean stretch my legs…).

Here is an international calendar for you to drool over (come on no time better than this year to head over to Belgium for some ‘cross action):

Team Raats Cyclo-Cross Team

I’m serious about Belgium. I’m going again. This will be my second season of racing in ‘cross in Belgium. If you have questions about the racing, accommodations, travel, transport – whatever – drop me an email or post in the comments.

The pieces are falling into place. Clothing design finalized and clothing being produced. Team is currently being registered. Bikes are almost ready. New equipment is on order. Training is in full swing. Registration has already opened for early season races. Travel plans are being made. Injuries are a distant memory. Nutrition is dialed and the weight is good (uh, yah I did just eat Nutella straight from the jar…). Skills training is underway and progress is coming. The brain, well it is full.

This is where I am – in full flight of the big old head game. A head game that I’m playing with myself. Yes, I know dumb. Especially considering it is August. But, this is the way I am. Crazy and intense at times. Went for ‘cross ride with Steve and Marc yesterday. We played follow the leader for a while and then set up our grid on some gravel. This is where I unraveled. I quickly became frustrated because I couldn’t keep up with the guys and that my turning wasn’t perfect. Luckily Marc noticed my disintegration and dug me out of the hole. He reminded me that it was my first time working on turns in loose terrain and that the reason I wasn’t keeping up was simply because I was pedaling more slowly then he and Steve. At times like these, Marc has to be harsh with me. It is the only way to get through my thick head. Eventually I get so pissed off that I start listening and doing things correctly.

All this to say, that the brain is so important in athletic performance. When you’re going through your checklist for cyclo-cross season readiness – don’t forget to do a brain check. New for me this season are race plans. This is a “general” plan that allows me to block out my crazy brain on race day. I have things to focus on leading up to the race start and then during the race.

Here are some links that just might help your brain:

Summit Consulting
Sportsminded

Additionally there are a number of excellent books out there:

Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior
Mistakes Worth Making

Here are some links I’ve come across in the last few days:

Fast Boy Cycles
Little Belgium Movie
Belgian Cyclo-Cross Championships
Laaste Ronde

That’s all for today. Have a good one. Make sure you get to BikeReg and start registering!

Dudes – check it out. The Ottawa Cross kit is done and is getting produced as we speak.

Massive thanks to the Fearless Leader for his tireless work on this clothing. Couldn’t have done it without you! Sorry for being high maintenance.

There are a couple of changes to the final clothing design that aren’t on this rendering – namely the Cycle-Smart logo was added to the back collar.

What do you think? I think it looks pretty hot and fast.

Massive thanks to my sponsors for making the 2008-2009 cyclo-cross season a reality.

Huh? Olympics? Why a post about the Olympics on a web site about cyclo-cross? Well, why not? Everyone I know is absorbed with the Olympics right now. This sporting spectacle brings out the athlete in everyone. It opens our eyes to sports we didn’t know existed (for me – women’s wrestling), we get to watch sports that get little to no coverage (judo, fencing, taekwon-do – to name a few), and most importantly – we draw inspiration from the Olympics.

I sit watching athletes who have given their live to their sport to make it to the big show. Wow! Not many of us can say we have devoted ourselves to one single and ultimate goal. So to watch athletes from all over the world give their best with the eyes of the world on them is something else. I don’t think pressure even describes it.

This brings me to the start of the ‘cross season… There are times when I’m out on the bike and I’m not having a good time. It is raining. I’m tired. I’m not feeling the drills. But something keeps me going. My goal of making the national team helps me get up early and get my skill sessions in. Knowing that I’ll have to race many wet races helps me stay focused on the wet grass and ignore the cold. My race schedule helps me to get through the drills and work on the “small” things that will make a big difference against the world’s best.

It really all comes down to inspiration. Olympics. Race plans. Goals. Whatever works for you – grab that nugget of inspiration and use it.

Had a solid session yesterday with Marc. We got out for a couple of hours of skills. It helps me so much to train with Marc. He has a very keen eye and catch the things that will make a big difference. We spent a lot of time on mounting the bike. Yes – mounting the bike. The faster this skill is the better. The sooner I can get my foot to the pedal, the sooner I can sprint away from you. Then we set up our turning grid and worked on fast and tight turns. Lots was accomplished. Marc really reinforced that one has to “go slow to go fast”.

Just a reminder that I’m heading to Mass. for the Cycle-Smart Cyclo-Cross camp so if you are in the Ottawa area and are interested in heading down, just drop me an email or post here on the site. It will be a good weekend of ‘cross, new and old friends, and just plain old fun.